DiNapoli on Morris sentence

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is weighing in on the sentencing of Hank Morris, advisor to DiNapoli’s disgraced predecessor, former Comptroller Alan Hevesi.

The Morris sentencing may mark something of a book closing, as DiNapoli labored, probably unfairly, under the shadow of Hevesi’s ongoing corruption investigation and a spate of guilty pleas announced by then-AG-now Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Hevesi, though, has yet to be sentenced.

Cuomo, if you’ll recall, pointedly avoided endorsing fellow-Democrat Tom DiNapoli last November although the governor did point out that DiNapoli was not a target in the corruption cases in which Hevesi and his cronies were essentially selling access to investment firms that wanted the state’s pension fund to invest with them.

Here is DiNapoli’s statement:

“Hank Morris has received a fitting sentence. Jail time should help
serve as a deterrent for anyone looking to rip off the state pension
fund.

“Since taking office, I’ve worked hard to restore faith in the Office of
the State Comptroller after the abuses of the Hevesi administration. I
banned placement agents so that corrupt middlemen could never again run
the type of pay-to-play scheme that Mr. Morris did. We must ensure that
the pension fund is protected against this kind of criminal behavior.

“Last month, I proposed a bill that would strip convicted former public
officials of their pensions. Public officials who commit a felony
related to their duties shouldn’t be rewarded. There are better ways to
spend New York’s tax dollars than to support retired felons who ripped
off the public.”